Dee Why: Baptist church’s plans revealed for new $14.1m church with boarding house, cafe
New Life Baptist Church in Dee Why is looking to knock down and rebuild a church, boarding house and cafe in four and six-storey mixed use development. See the artist impressions here.
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A modern Baptist Church which worships God through “musical expression” has revealed ambitious plans to knock down its building and rebuild it with a boarding house and cafe.
The $14.1m plans for New Life Baptist Church at 28 Fisher Rd and 9 Francis St in Dee Why have been three years in the making, with the church stating it’s received “strong support” from the public and the council so far.
The project has been touted to carry out the church’s mission to “help those in need as there is a dire need for community crisis care centres and accommodation of this type on the northern beaches”.
The development will include demolition of the existing two-storey church and construction of two mixed use buildings with a cafe, church, conference centre, 80-room boarding house and two level basement car park with 40 parking spaces.
The development will boast a cafe with an outdoor dining area and a communal roof top area for the boarding house.
The site was purchased by the church about 100 years and was developed as place of worship in the 1940s, as part of Dee Why’s early history.
A New Life Baptist Church spokesman said they currently plays host to “a Baptist Church congregation, other congregations, community connect groups and a range of regular dance, music drama and other community uses”.
He also explained what the development seeks “to better-utilise its existing site resources and to extend the care and community supports that it offers in Dee Why”.
“It is proposed to update its current facilities with a new state-of-the-art conference centre/multipurpose community facility. This will provide much-needed professional standard facilities for Dee Why community use,” the spokesman said.
“The church proposes to develop a range of social housing accommodation as boarding house units targeted for use by a variety of persons.”
Documents on the council’s website reveal the development is set to “increase the quality and quantity of affordable housing options” as the population grows.
The development application was submitted to Northern Beaches Council this week.